The majority of currently practiced projects employ a technique of having part of needed resources or services furnished by sponsor business operators. For example, in producing a television program, the projects make use of a scheme of having the apparel or clothes of performers, accessories, sets in a studio, small articles or location sites, furnished from the sponsor business operators. Meanwhile, in picture programs, such as television programs, variegated information pertinent to a picture program, as program ancillary data, is scheduled to broadcast or distributed simultaneously with acoustic data or picture data, such that there is a promising prospect for realization of variegated services employing the program ancillary data.
For example, not only an interpolating type service in which the viewer refers to a singer's profile as he or she enjoys a song program, but also an interactive service in which the viewer places an order for a commodity appearing on a display picture, as he or she enjoys the picture program, is felt to be promising.
Meanwhile, in order for these services to be attractive for the audience, it is essential that abundant information be furnished as program ancillary data, and that the furnished information may readily be accessible.
However, if program ancillary data is to be completed, that is input, within a limited time allowance, a considerable load is necessarily imposed on the producer of the picture program. Thus, such device or method that is able to enable efficient preparation of program ancillary data is thought to be desirable.